I am both a little surprised–but very delighted–to say that the Chromagraphic Pencils work wonderfully on the waterline. They look lovely–very fresh and awake–without being too light. I used NC/NW15 on my waterline as soon as I had finished photographing them (nobody likes to see used stuff photograph, yeah?), and here I am three hours later with it still hanging on. I’d definitely say to grab one when you’re able to if you’ve always wanted an easy way to open up and brighten your eyes.

Chromagraphic Pencil ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

NC15/NW20 is a light nude with a creamy feel and look.

NW25/NC30 is a yellower, deeper nude with the same creaminess as the other shade.

Paint Pot ($16.50 U.S. / $22.00 CDN)

Coral Crepe is a reddened, darkened coral-orange with a slight golden sheen. It can be sheered out a bit, but it really goes on quite coral. I tried as a base, and it can definitely be worn on the eyes. I also tried it on the lips, and I’d vote nay on that in the future–very drying and chalky looking. Havne’t tried it on the cheeks, but you might be able to do that.

Groundwork is a softened brown with a yellow undertone. This is a permanent shade.

Out of Chanel’s ultra exclusive Noir et Or Collection, Ligne et Ombre de Chanel in Jet-Gold ($45.00) emerges. While not exactly groundbreaking in terms of color, it’s extremely fitting to the collection. It’s a matte black cake eyeliner paired with a golden peach flecked eyeshadow.

The black side is not meant to be used dry–it needs to be used wet so it can “activate.” I just gave the brush the tiniest bit of wetness, and I was already able to get a nice, intense black out of it. The gold, while it can be worn dry, also looks and wears better wet–and I like that with Chanel shadows, I can use them wet without leaving a wet spot behind. (Similarly, the gold would adhere and look more uniform used over a base rather than dry, since it is so shimmery.)

When used as an eyeliner, the black lasts for hours on me. I didn’t have any fading, smudging, or migration after eight hours of wear on my lower lash line (not my waterline, to be clear). If you really wanted, you could definitely use it with a brush to darken up the crease or any shadow you’re wearing, but it doesn’t excel at that (and again, it’s supposed to be used as an eyeliner).

It’s a fun product, but there’s nothing so standout about it that it’s necessarily worth hunting down and forking over $45 for. Chanel and luxury makeup collectors will likely enjoy it, but I think for others, it’s not going to knock your socks off–I’d say grab an eyeshadow duo, lipstick, or gloss instead (or even an eyeshadow quad, since this is just a little less than one!). I think if they made the gold a metallic cream finish, it could have gotten really interesting. It may not have been the most wearable, but it would have certainly played into the collection’s theme just a bit more.

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Product: 26/30

Value: 7/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: The cake eyeliner is excellent, but the gold eyeshadow is almost like a throw-in–pretty but not amazing. Chanel collectors will likely covet the piece, as exclusive as it is, but non-collectors won’t miss out if they skip this.

I bought two with my Sephora V.I.B. order, because I had a lot of readers request a review of these, so I figured now would be a good time to try I picked Mostro and Ciao Ciao as the two to try–I can never resist a green, and well, I’m always game to try anything periwinkle, too.

Mostro is a muted, yellowed green. Sephora describes it as “spring green,” and I’d say that’s an accurate description. It’s muted and blah–I wore it in this look and you’ll notice it doesn’t pop at all.

Ciao Ciao is a slightly brightened periwinkle blue. I’d say it’s a bluer periwinkle, but it’s still very much in the periwinkle family. Like Mostro, though, it seems a little muted.

Despite not loving either shade much, I love the applicator… like a TON. I am no pro at lining my upper lash line (because lining the area tends to cause my eyes to swell up or itch, so I don’t do it often!), but these made it a cinch. They’re stiff but not hard, and they deliver opaque color the entire time you’re lining. I can see that those who love really, really thin lining not loving the applicator, though. You can get a nice line that’s not ridiculously thick for sure, but you won’t be able to get a pencil-thin line.

It actually made me sad that I wasn’t into these colors at all but was totally crushing on the applicator. I might look out at the other shades to see if they are less muted. They’re supposed to be “bold shades,” but they just seem a little on the subtle/light side to me. It’s like they had so much more room to pop, but they didn’t go there.

The liner also lasts all day without fading, transferring, or smudging. I wore it on my lower lash line and across my lid (like a diagonal line across part of my lid and crease) to test, and I had no movement whatsoever. I’m really hoping to fall in love with one of the other shades (I’m thinking about trying the black one next), though, since it is such a great product.

Anyone else try these?

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Product: 29/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: The product quality is fantastic on these–long-wearing, doesn’t budge or smudge, and stays true-to-color while you wear it. The color range might not be as fantastic, though, so you may want to swatch before you buy.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil ($4.00) are oversized (hence the jumbo!) pencils that can be used as eyeliners or shadows, according to NYX. It’s available in twenty-four shades, ranging from black to blue to yellow.

I like them best as an eyeshadow base–I find that it’s easier to blend on top of it than it is to blend it with other Jumbo Eye Pencils. They work great used alone as a base or layered on top of your favorite eyeshadow base (like Urban Decay Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance). I used them as a base alone and didn’t experience any creasing or fading.

Hot Pink (621) is a slightly blue-based medium pink with no shimmer or frost.

Yellow (622) is a paled sunny yellow with no shimmer or frost.

Horse Raddish (607) is a frosted leafy green with silver sheen.

Oyster (610) is an iridescent purple with red undertones and icy sheen. It was the sheerest of the five I tried–you can see that it doesn’t quite go opaque.

Yogurt (611) is a frosted copper brown with a gilded champagne sheen.

I like that they have so many shades available, and they’re an incredibly affordable option for those looking for a product to help their eyeshadows stay on longer and appear more vibrant. I’ve always found colored bases can make colors really pop, and these are a great way to add some colored bases into your stash without breaking the bank.

The only downside is that it’s a pain in the butt to sharpen these with anything but NYX’s Sharpener. Luckily, NYX’s Sharpener is only $4, so it won’t set you back an arm and a leg. I also find these a little difficult to line with unless they’re freshly sharpened, just because they are oversized.

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Product: 28/30

Value: 9/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 3/5

Recommendation: If you’re on a budget and looking for a new eyeshadow base, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils may fit the bill!

I bought three shades to try out from Sephora’s VIB sale: Rondine, Unicorno, and SANDy. All three shades were very pigmented and quite sparkly!

Rondine is a sky blue with silver glitter. (I don’t know why it’s listed as “teal” because it’s not teal at all on me.)

Unicorno is a pale white gold with darker gold glitter.

SANDy is a medium grass green with yellow-gold flecks of glitter.

I loved the pigmentation and look of the eyeliners, and they reminded me a lot of MAC’s Softsparkle Pencils of the past. They also don’t budge, smudge, or fade, and even better–there is very little movement of the glitter. Sometimes the glitter in a glitter eyeliner will end up migrating and falling everywhere but where you applied it, but the glitter in the tokidoki liner stays in place for the most part (negligible fall out).

My issue with these is that they’re a little hard/rough on the lash line–I find they’re noticeably gritty and have a tendency to tug a bit, too. They could just be a much, much softer pencil so they applied more smoothly without tugging.

The packaging is cute with classic tokidoki patterns on the pencil itself, plus each pencil is color coordinated to its shade. They’re affordable and work well, other than the hardness of the pencil itself. They’re good enough that I’ll keep the three shades I have and possibly pick up one or two more, but since the hardness is a little much for my lash line, I don’t see myself buying every single one. I am totally in love with Unicorno, though — so pretty!

Have you tried these?

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Product: 25/30

Value: 9/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: Though they stay really well once they’re on, I found them a little rough on the lash line. If you’re used to the softness of Urban Decay 24/7 Liners, you may find this too hard.

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner Review

Tarina Tarantino Eye Dream Hyperliner ($17.00) is a soft pencil eyeliner available in thirteen colorful shades. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Tarina Tarantino’s makeup line, but these two eyeliners are the first products from her line that I’ve tried, and I am pleasantly surprised! They are soft but not super soft — think firmer than Urban Decay 24/7 Pencils but softer than Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes — and apply very smoothly. The color range seems fun, even if I’ve only seen two, I’m interested in checking out a few more shades (like Spark of Envy!).

Glamorous Thief is a brightened medium blue with silver spairkle and a soft sheen.

Amethyst Android is a blue-based violet purple with a soft sheen but no real noticeable shimmer.

I found these liners stayed put on my lower lash line (I didn’t wear on my water line, since I wasn’t sure if these were waterline safe or not) without budging, smudging, or migrating during the day. The liner itself applies intensely without work, and it glides on without tugging on the lash line, too. I really like the level of softness, because it’s not so soft it’s easy to break, but it’s not so hard that it tugs or drags on the lash line either.

The eyeliners are also very simply packaged–colored end followed by a silver strip, and then the majority of the pencil is a pink all topped off with a silver cap. They’re the same price as both Urban Decay and Make Up For Ever’s eyeliners–and just as good. I’d say the color range may differ here and there, though Tarina Tarantino’s closer to Urban Decay’s. In fact, Glamorous Thief is incredibly similar to Deviant, while Amethyst Android to Lust. (If you have those, I’d pass on both these shades.) On me, all three wear about the same, with Make Up For Ever doing the best on the water line, and then Tarina Tarantino and Urban Decay doing just slightly under Make Up For Ever (but I personally prefer the color range and softness of Urban Decay).

Have you tried Tarina Tarantino’s Hyperliner yet? Any must-have shades?

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Product: 28/30

Value: 8/10

Ease of Use: 4/5

Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation: If you’re either an eyeliner fiend or you don’t have too many Urban Decay/Make Up For Ever eyeliners, then Tarina Tarantino is a nice line to try if you’re looking for a pop of color in your eyeliner. I don’t think the shade range is as standout when the market has so much that is similar, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that these work well and are high quality eyeliners. If you own all of Urban Decay’s liners, you may find these too similar to own both–the only shade that looks different from anything Urban Decay has is Broken Doll (light pink).